Shayna
by KaratePunk
Summary: i'm back! shayna finds out about mysterious threat- what will happen? R/R!!!!!!!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: The Black Jewels World belongs to Anne Bishop. My character is Shayna. If I've forgotten any, it shouldn't be difficult to tell which ones are mine.  
  
Dedication: to my ever faithful friends Kris (Jaenelle) and Brenna (Karla).  
  
  
  
  
  
My name is Gabrielle. I am the Queen of the Dea al Mon, and the first in a great while to be a Black Widow and Healer as well. My husband, Chaosti, is a Gray-Jeweled Warlord Prince. Since the time of Witch, our way of life has been perfect.  
  
Had been.  
  
Then, a stranger arrived. We had thought that Jaenelle's sacrifice had been the end, but we were wrong. So wrong.  
  
This stranger is a Red-Jeweled Black Widow Queen, like my daughter. She is Dea al Mon in her blood, but in her heart, she is Terreillean. And not the Terreillean of the present. Of the past.  
  
She will take the throne from my family. My daughter has the strength to wear the Black and defend her position as heir, but not if this stranger kills her first.  
  
The stranger arrived and assumed authority. Only my position as Queen stopped her from seizing control. She is savage, calculating, malicious. She desires only one thing: power.  
  
And our only hope for destroying this threat is my sixteen-year-old daughter. 


	2. Return Home

Disclaimer: Don't own Black Jewels. My characters are obvious.  
  
  
  
"Lucivar!"  
  
The tall man sighed and turned around. He counted to three slowly, waiting for the girl to come around the corner. What happened this time?  
  
Right on time, the girl-no, young woman; she was sixteen- came through the door. Her perfectly straight, white-blond hair was tousled, her green eyes fiery, a fierce expression on her face.  
  
Lucivar looked at her questioningly.  
  
She pointed at the door she'd just come through. "He did it again!"  
  
As if on cue, Daemonar strolled in nonchalantly. He shrugged when Lucivar gave him a scalding look.  
  
"Daemonar, if I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times. Don't teach the Arcerian kittens to pounce!"  
  
"You do it."  
  
"That's different. I'm teaching them to hunt. You're teaching them to scare the shit out of Shayna."  
  
Shayna glared at Daemonar. "Do it again and I'll use you for target practice."  
  
Daemonar shrugged again. "I'll put you in the dirt as payback."  
  
"Like you could! I just had you down two hours ago!"  
  
They continued arguing and walked out of the room, but arms around each other as friends.  
  
Lucivar rubbed his temples. Shayna, being nearly four years younger than his son, usually lost their battles, but on this matter Lucivar was firm. Nineteen-year-old Daemonar should have known better.  
  
Jaenelle popped her head in. "Same old fight?"  
  
"As usual," Lucivar replied. "I'm close to the point where I'm going to take that boy out and show him a few things he never learned in practice."  
  
"Oh, so dunking him in the fountain won't work?"  
  
Lucivar laughed. "I only did that to Karla."  
  
"You did it to everyone and you know it."  
  
"Lucivar!" a voice rang out.  
  
Lucivar and Jaenelle looked at each other. "Not again."  
  
  
  
Gabrielle and Karla sat in the inner garden. Gabrielle had her feet tucked up underneath her, and she and Karla were talking about the latest antics of the Dark Council.  
  
"I know that Jaenelle had always wanted it to be more difficult to travel from Realm to Realm, but this is ridiculous," Gabrielle was saying.  
  
"Not only do we need passports now, but we need to have proof of identification and spend twenty-four hours under the supervision of a travel agent. Even if we're only going to the Keep!"  
  
"Jaenelle's going to have a field day with this one," Gabrielle replied.  
  
They were silent for a moment, just wondering how exactly Jaenelle would phrase her complaints, and smiled at the result. Then Karla asked, "So when are you going back? I know you have some reforms to make in the court, but I didn't know if you were staying for the next Council meeting."  
  
Gabrielle let out a dramatic groan. "I'm going as soon as I can convince my daughter to come back with me. She's staying in Ebon Rih these days, but she needs to see how the court runs. She'll make the Offering in a few years, and she has to understand what being Queen means, especially for a Dea al Mon witch."  
  
Karla smiled. "I think she has a deeper understanding than you know. I've talked to her before, and Saetan has mentioned the same thing; she seems to have a deep respect for the power she's going to have. Mother Night, Gabrielle, she could wear the Black!"  
  
Gabrielle nodded. "She's not going to be Witch, though. When she made the Offering and came away with the Red, I talked to both Saetan and Jaenelle, and we decided that she shouldn't be Witch. There wouldn't be any purpose for it, and besides, everyone still looks to Jaenelle for that kind of thing. I don't think Shayna wants that kind of power anyway."  
  
"She'll be a good Queen- just like her mother."  
  
"Thank you. I do hope so," Gabrielle replied.  
  
  
  
Shayna sat out on the rolling hills near Ebon Rih, watching the sun set. Kaevaria, Kaelas' youngest daughter, sat with her, contentedly soaking up the last rays of warmth for the day.  
  
Shayna sighed. She was going back to Dea al Mon tomorrow with her mother. Gabrielle wanted to give her a taste of authority as she would rule next.  
  
She was a strong witch, and she knew it. She also knew that there wasn't anyone else more powerful than she her age, so there was no one to take the throne from her and her family. She didn't really want to rule, but she would do it out of a sense of duty to the rest of the Dea al Mon- and to her family.  
  
Kaevaria stirred, and looked at Shayna. *Is it time to go already?*  
  
Shayna shook her head. "We're leaving tomorrow morning."  
  
Kaevaria put her head back down and replied, *I'm staying out here tonight.*  
  
"I am too."  
  
*Your father will let you?*  
  
"He's not here to stop me, is he?" Shayna laughed. "Besides, it was more Lucivar and Daemon that had a problem with it. I swear, they're like older brothers."  
  
*They just want to protect you.*  
  
"Uh huh. Just like Daemonar was just teaching the kittens to hunt when they pounced on me this morning."  
  
Kaevaria made a sound that was the Arcerian equivalent of a laugh.  
  
"Glad you find it funny."  
  
"Shayna!"  
  
Shayna and Kaevaria both turned to see Daemon walking up the hill toward them. Shayna sighed again. He was probably going to tell her, again, that she shouldn't stay outside tonight. And she would tell him, again, that she wanted one last time with the Black Mountain before she had to go back to Dea al Mon- and the court.  
  
"Your father is here," Daemon said as he approached. "he wants to see you for a few minutes before he leaves for home."  
  
"He's leaving tonight?" Shayna asked in surprise.  
  
Daemon shrugged. "He wants to get back tonight, I guess."  
  
That's interesting, Shayna thought to herself, and walked with Daemon back to Lucivar's cabin. Her father was waiting there, talking with Marian.  
  
"Dad?" Shayna asked as she crossed the threshold.  
  
Chaosti looked up. "Shayna! I'm going back tonight, but your mother wanted to let you know that the meeting with the court was postponed. Someone found something strange in one of the Provinces or some such nonsense. You mother's taking the First Circle to check it out, so the meeting is scheduled for fourth-day, but she still wants you to be back tomorrow."  
  
Shayna nodded. "I'm getting up early tomorrow morning to leave."  
  
"You're traveling alone?" Chaosti asked disapprovingly.  
  
"Yes, I'm going alone! What's the big deal, I've done it dozens of times before," Shayna said exasperatedly.  
  
Daemon cleared his throat. "I think you ought to go with Daemonar. Either that or with twins- they could use the practice riding the Winds."  
  
"I guess I'll go with Daemonar then, because I am not taking Tristan or Tyler. They're really annoying lately."  
  
Daemon and Chaosti laughed. "They're seventeen, what do you want?"  
  
"I want them to act their age!"  
  
"They are," Lucivar replied, coming inside. "Daemonar was the same way, or do you not remember?"  
  
Shayna shuddered. Lucivar laughed. "All right, so are you staying out there tonight?"  
  
Shayna nodded. "If this is going to be my last night here for a while, then I intend to enjoy it."  
  
  
  
  
  
So now I've got two chapters up. I really want to know what you think, so review! 


	3. Welcome home

Disclaimer: I do not own the Black Jewels trilogy.  
  
Author's Note: Characters that I own: Shayna, Marton, Patrick, and Karo  
  
Daughter of Night: thank you for reading both of my stories! Especially the LotR one.no one seems to review that one. Oh, Jaenelle is Witch, but because you have to wear the Black to be the Queen of Ebon-Askavi, she's no longer the Queen.  
  
Foxfire: yes I know but shhhh! No one else knows that! And besides, there's really no need for another Queen of Ebon Askavi, everyone still goes to Jaenelle for what they need.  
  
Chaosti- I love your name. I always really liked Chaosti. Um, Tristan and Tyler belong to Daemon and Jaenelle, I'm sorry I didn't clarify.  
  
Golden-twilightflame- why is your name so hard to write??? Where did you get it anyway?  
Due to the utter stupidity of this thing, this seems to run on. Sorry for any confusion.  
Shayna dropped from the Red Wind and looked around. Well, she was home. Trees surrounded her. Sunlight filtered through, but barely any reached the forest floor fifty feet below her feet. Treehouses, or palaces, being a more apt name for the housings in the trees, were nestled in the treetops, some reaching out above the tops of the trees. Shayna breathed in and smelled the clean autumn air. She loved the smell of golden, orange, and fire red leaves falling to the ground; nature's preparation for winter and the following spring.  
  
Daemonar dropped off the Ebon-gray Wind and landed beside her. He looked around in wonder. He'd never seen Dea al Mon at the height of autumn, when everything appeared as though it was on fire. He stared for a moment or two, then turned to Shayna and smiled. "So, you're home."  
  
Shayna nodded. "This is it," she replied and waved and hand at the treetops. "It's so beautiful in the fall, and I don't even want to be here."  
  
"Why not?" Daemonar asked in surprise, as they began making their way to Shayna's home.  
  
Shayna shrugged. "I love this place, don't get me wrong. It will always be home to me. But.home is also where your family is, and a lot of the people I'm close to and call family spend their time at the Hall. I love Dhemlan, I love the Keep, and I love Ebon Rih. I wish I could have stayed longer this time."  
  
Daemonar threw an arm around Shayna's shoulders. "Well, look on the bright side. I can't convince the kittens to pounce on you anymore."  
  
Shayna laughed. "But don't worry, you won't be alone this time," Daemonar continued. "I talked to my father, and he said that it was okay if I wanted to stay here for a few weeks."  
  
Shayna smiled. "Thank you. Even though you are a pain in the butt, I'd still miss you."  
  
Daemonar was about to reply, but they'd reached the palace: Shayna's home in Dea al Mon. She went to the front door and walked in, giving a cursory glance to the guard at the door. Normally, Marton would have been there to greet her, but it appeared as though her mother had already come and gone to the Province her father had mentioned the night before. "I have to check in with Patrick first, and then we can relax for a while." Patrick was a Warlord Prince in Gabrielle's Second Circle, and stood in for the Master of the Guard when the First Circle was gone.  
  
Once Shayna had spoken to Patrick, she and Daemonar went to Shayna's rooms. Daemonar flopped onto the couch and fell immediately asleep, to Shayna's dismay. Shayna had a few friends living with their parents at the court, but they were all gone until the next day when their parents would arrive for the meeting.  
  
So she went off to the library. The palace had a decent-sized library, so she was sure she could find something in there to amuse herself with until Daemonar woke up.  
  
What she wasn't expecting to find was Karo. Karo was eighteen years old, and had gone to school with Shayna until he'd graduated last year. He and Shayna had been together for a short time, but it had been a stormy courtship and had lasted only a few months. Unfortunately mostly for Shayna, it hadn't ended on good terms, and Karo still antagonized her from time to time.  
  
He looked up when Shayna entered the room, and grinned when he realized it was her. "Shayna! So glad you finally came. I'd heard you were returning, but with your mother and father not returning until tomorrow, I'd thought you would have waited for them," he said sarcastically.  
  
"Yes, well, I'm a big girl now and I can handle being alone in the palace- even if I'm stuck with you," she replied with a bite in her voice.  
  
That seemed to just egg him on. "Well, I'm glad you're back. Truly I am."  
  
"Why, you haven't found someone new to attack constantly?"  
  
Karo looked mildly offended. "Attack? Oh Shayna, I think you misunderstand my intentions."  
  
"Then what are your intentions? Make it quick, because I've got better things to do than waste my time talking to you."  
  
"Such a temper. I don't think your parents would approve," Karo said scoldingly. With that, he stepped forward and grabbed Shayna's shoulders, holding her in place. "I don't really like it either, but I'd be willing to dismiss it if you-"  
  
"If I what?" Shayna snapped, standing passively under his control. She knew that she couldn't get out of his grasp, so she just stood loosely. "I know what you'd ask of me, and my answer is still the same: no! I'm waiting until I've found someone who matters to let him have the honor of taking care of my Virgin Night. So stay away." With that, she pivoted swiftly enough to break his grasp and stalked out of the room.  
  
Karo watched her go and fumed. I'll get you. In the end, you'll be mine.and never strong enough to resist me again.  
You know, after writing back to my reviewers, I realized that I'm a huge dork and Shayna wouldn't be Witch anyway. You have to be born Witch. She won't be the Queen of Ebon-Askavi even if she does wear the Black after she makes the Offering. Okay, that's it. On with the story!  
  
P.S. Keep reviewing!  
  
P.P.S. Okay I'm done. 


	4. Visions

Disclaimer: No, I still don't own the Black Jewels trilogy, but I'm working on the legal rights.I wish.  
  
My characters are obvious!  
Chaosti escorted his wife through the crowd and down the landen town's main street. They were going to see the Queen of Hymar, the eastern Province of Dea al Mon. The Queen had sent an urgent message to Gabrielle's Master of the Guard the week before. This was extremely important.  
  
Chaosti, of course, had known since the message had gotten to Gabrielle. They didn't, however, tell Shayna. Unless it was something that could in some way affect her, they didn't want to trouble her. She would have enough to worry about in the next few weeks. He knew it was hard for her to be back and away from the people she'd called her family her entire life.  
  
He returned his attention to the duty at hand. They were in a rural inn, which had been cleared out on account of their arrival and the pressing matter at hand. Which was still a mystery to the First Circle.  
  
He took the position at Gabrielle's left hand, her Master of the Guard at her right. The Province Queen entered and without the traditional greeting ushered them to a table. Chaosti sat to the left but behind his wife. The Province Queen seemed a little flustered and upset. That couldn't be good.  
  
"My Queen.we've encountered a problem. Well, not exactly a problem, but a paradox. I sent my Master of the Guard and a few Warlords on a routine inspection of the landen towns, as Witch decreed a few years back. We've done this once a year every year since that policy was implemented, but my guards never discovered anything- at least until now. I had to replace my Master of the Guard last spring, so the new one hadn't ever inspected this town before. But.he found a young girl- a very powerful young girl. She is a witch. Not just a witch." The Queen paused.  
  
Chaosti was a little worried. What did this mean? A hidden witch living in a landen town for fifteen years. Why wasn't she registered? Why had she been hidden for so many years? And how exactly had she been hidden for that long? His mind was racing. The first thing he thought of was Terreille. That Realm still wasn't as clean as it should have been, but it was better than it had been before Jaenelle's time, a thousand times over. He had so many questions to ask, but he waited for the Province Queen to finish.  
  
"When my guards came for the annual inspection, my Master of the Guard immediately sensed an inconsistency, and went to check it out. It led him to this girl. He could sense that there was something muffled in her, but he couldn't figure out what it was. He tried to break the spell or whatever it was that had been hiding her for so long, and he did, but." she broke off and gulped. "He died. As soon as the spell was broken, he just.keeled over. Dead before he hit the floor.  
  
"But the girl was revealed. She's a Red-Jeweled Black Widow Queen. Like your daughter. She seems Dea al Mon enough, but there's something a little off about her. I-I don't know what it is," she finished. "I contacted you as soon as I found out."  
  
"Thank you," Gabrielle said calmly. "What is so off about this girl?"  
  
Chaosti was trying to keep his cool as well as his wife. How could she be so calm and collected? There were a million things that could be wrong with this girl! He was fidgety, but Gabrielle laid a hand on his arm, and he tried to sit back and keep his anxiety under control.  
  
"I'm not sure," the Queen replied, casting a nervous glance at Chaosti. "She has a very powerful mind, and she hasn't yet made the Offering, so that may be what's giving me the odd feeling.but I don't think that's it."  
  
"May we meet her?" Gabrielle asked.  
  
The Queen nodded, then motioned to a guard, who left the room. A few minutes later, he returned with a young Dea al Mon girl. She physically appeared to be a normal, seventeen-year-old girl. But once Chaosti had gotten a whiff of her psychic scent, he was immediately repulsed. She had an air of cunning and deceit, but it was hidden enough that he was sure no one wearing a Jewel lighter than the Green would sense it.  
  
Gabrielle seemed to have a similar impression of the girl, because she sent to Chaosti on a spear thread, *I don't like this girl.*  
  
*Me either,* he replied, and stood up along with his wife. Gabrielle pursed her lips, then said, "Greetings, Sister."  
  
"Sister," the girl replied courteously.  
  
"My name is Gabrielle. I'm the Queen of Dea al Mon. Who are you?" Gabrielle asked, sounding completely neutral.  
  
"My name is Riana."  
  
"Well, Riana, I would like to know why you've been hiding your identity from the landens here for so long," Gabrielle said, with a hint of disapproval in her voice.  
  
"I had to. I had to hide myself from the landens because they would kill me if I was found out," the girl said a little plaintively.  
  
Chaosti saw right through it. It was an act! There was something else going on here, but it took all of his self-control not to jump out and begin interrogating her.  
  
"That's not true," Gabrielle replied sharply. "The Dea al Mon landens have always gotten along with the Blood here. What made you think that they would try to destroy you? And why didn't you try to contact one of the Blood?"  
  
This was not good. Now Gabrielle was getting panicky. And Chaosti knew that she only got panicky when things were really, really bad.  
  
"I was told when my family left me here that I should do everything in my power to hide my true self from the landens. And I didn't think the other Blood would help me," Riana replied.  
  
"When did your parents leave you?"  
  
"They left me here a few years ago, ten years after Witch's reign," she replied quietly.  
  
"I don't follow. The Realm of Kaeleer has been perfect since Witch's reign. What would make them leave you here? There wasn't any danger."  
  
"My parents had lived in Terreille for a few years before Witch came to power. They were afraid that the rest of the Dea al Mon would try to kill them, or kill me, because of that."  
  
That's a lie! Chaosti thought angrily. The Dea al Mon were warriors, true, but they would never hurt a fellow kinsman without good reason. What was going on here?  
  
"Well, Riana, I'd like you to come back to the capital with my husband and I. We can give you shelter until your story is revealed," Gabrielle said firmly, turned around and walked out of the room. Chaosti followed her, and behind him he heard Riana protesting her story.  
  
When he got out in the hallway, Gabrielle was leaning against the wall and rubbing her hands over her face. Chaosti walked over to her and drew her into his arms. "What is going on here?" he whispered into her hair.  
  
Gabrielle shivered. "Chaosti.something bad is going to happen."  
  
Chaosti drew back to look into his wife's blue-gray eyes. "What's going to happen? To who?"  
  
A tear slid down Gabrielle's cheek. "To our daughter." 


	5. warning

Disclaimer: don't own Black Jewels.  
  
A/N: My face is burning with shame. I've found so many places where I've screwed up that I should just flog myself to death. But I have to give myself credit, I've gotten through my little writers block thing, so now I can keep going. I hope.  
  
* * *  
Daemonar woke up and looked around. It was dusk, and he was still sleeping on the couch in Shayna's sitting room. He rubbed his eyes and searched the room for his friend, but she wasn't there. Sighing, he got up and walked down the hall to the library, where he thought she'd be at.  
  
The library was occupied, but not by Shayna. A young Dea al Mon Warlord sat in an armchair and was poring over a book. He didn't look up when Daemonar walked into the room.  
  
"Hello?" Daemonar asked quietly, not wanting to surprise the man.  
  
He looked up at Daemonar. "She's not in here. I don't know where she went," he said, sounding a little annoyed. "She was here a few hours ago, but didn't want to share my company."  
  
Daemonar looked curiously at the man. "What do you mean, she didn't want to share your company? Shayna gets along with everyone."  
  
The man was looking at the book again. He laughed and replied, "Not me. We have an interesting past."  
  
Daemonar sat down across from the man. He was interested now. "What does that mean?"  
  
The Warlord looked up. "I courted your friend for a few months. She didn't seem to like me.and it ended on bad terms." He shrugged. "Not a real big loss. There are plenty of other witches out there," he said nonchalantly.  
  
Daemonar was a little surprised. There weren't many witches like Shayna. How could he pass her off like that? "Oh." He paused for a minute, then said, "So do you serve in Gabrielle's court?"  
  
The Warlord closed the book with an annoyed huff and looked at Daemonar. "No, my parents serve. But the court is reconvening in a few days, so my parents brought me along for the trip. I pretty much grew up here." He looked at Daemonar. "Who are you?"  
  
"My name is Daemonar. I live in Ebon Rih. I'm just here visiting Shayna for a few days."  
  
"So you live with the former members of the Dark Court?" the Warlord asked.  
  
"My father was the First Escort. He's still the Warlord Prince of Ebon Rih," Daemonar replied.  
  
"Are you going to take his position? Or have you already made the Offering?"  
  
Daemonar reached into his shirt and pulled out his Ebon-gray Jewel. "I've made the Offering.but I didn't want to rule. I have no interest in telling others what to do. Who are you?"  
  
"My name is Karo. I'm a Warlord, but I haven't made the Offering yet. I don't think I'll have a position of authority, even if I were to be strong enough."  
  
"What Jewel do you wear now?" Daemonar could have found out for himself, but he'd thought it rude to probe the younger man's mind just to find his rank.  
  
"I wear the Blood Opal. I don't know if I'm strong enough to descend to the Red, but even if I do, the only position I could have would be one serving in this court."  
  
Daemonar nodded. "If there was still a Dark Court, I'd be serving there, but Witch's reign ended about sixteen years ago. So I serve my father."  
  
Karo was about to reply, but just then Shayna entered the room. "There you are! I've been looking for you. I got word from my father. They'll be back-" she stopped short when she saw Karo. She raised an eyebrow but continued. "They'll be back within an hour. Come on, we've got to get ready for dinner."  
  
She turned on her heel and left the room without a word to Karo.  
  
Daemonar gave a helpless shrug to Karo. "Will you be at dinner?"  
  
Karo nodded and replied, "I will see you then!"  
  
* * *  
When Gabrielle and Chaosti arrived back at home, Gabrielle immediately sent a message to Karla, telling her that it was urgent and she should get to Dea al Mon as soon as she could.  
  
Chaosti led his wife to their bedroom and sat her down in an armchair. He crouched in front of her and said, "Okay. Tell me. What is going on?"  
  
Gabrielle's voice shook as she spoke. "A few weeks ago, I had a strange dream. It was.a vision."  
  
"What was in the dream?" Chaosti asked.  
  
"All I saw were two Dea al Mon witches dueling. I didn't understand, so I wove a web, hoping that would clear things up. It only made them more complicated. In the web." Gabrielle stopped, her voice shaky.  
  
Chaosti took her hands. "What?"  
"It showed Shayna in a duel with another young witch and.and the other woman won. I saw Shayna lying on the ground in a pool of blood, and then I saw a guard place a crown of leaves on the victor's head. I also saw a young Dea al Mon Warlord taking her hand, but the face was fuzzy; I couldn't see who it was."  
  
Chaosti was shocked. Their daughter? In a duel? Defeated?  
Gabrielle seemed to pick up on his shock, because she nodded. "I didn't tell anyone about it. I was hoping that it was just a strange dream.but it appears as though the web was right. I just hope that the future that it showed can be changed." She snorted. "A Black Widow hoping her vision is wrong."  
  
"It might not be the same witch, Gabrielle."  
  
She just shook her head. "The witch wore the Red, was a Black Widow Queen, and had that same distinct psychic scent."  
  
Chaosti visibly shook. "Are the webs always right?"  
  
Gabrielle just looked at him.  
  
He was silent for a moment, and then asked, "Is that why you sent for Karla?"  
  
Gabrielle nodded. "I preserved the web. I want her to take a look at it before I tell Jaenelle.and Shayna."  
  
"How can we possibly tell Shayna?"  
  
Gabrielle shrugged her shoulders helplessly. "I don't know.but we can't hide it from her."  
Daemonar walked alone down to the dining hall. He'd gone back to Shayna's chambers just to find them empty. So he'd cleaned up a bit and then went back down to find everyone else.  
  
On the way, he found Chaosti. He looked troubled, but brightened when he saw Daemonar. "What are you doing here?" he asked cheerily.  
  
"I came to visit Shayna. I knew she wasn't happy with coming back, so I wanted to spend a day or two with her.if that's okay," Daemonar said.  
  
Chaosti laughed. "Boyo, you've been a part of the family ever since you met Shayna. Of course you're welcome here."  
  
Daemonar smiled. "So is everything okay? You seemed a little upset."  
  
Chaosti looked a little uncomfortable. "Gabrielle and I got some.bad news."  
  
"What bad news?" Daemonar pressed.  
  
Chaosti sighed and pulled Daemonar into a nearby room. He ran his fingers through his long silver hair and sighed. "When Gabrielle and I went to that landen town.we found a threat to our family's rule. A witch.who wears the Red as her Birthright Jewel. I was worried at first but didn't really think too much of it until Gabrielle told me about her web." Chaosti paused as his breath hitched. "She saw the witch kill Shayna in a duel. She also saw a guard put a crown on the witch's head- meaning that this witch is going to take the throne from our family."  
  
Daemonar couldn't speak for a moment. "Except for the duel, isn't that normal? I mean, thrones go from Queen to Queen all the time," he said, knowing the answer.  
  
"No," Chaosti replied defeatedly. "The throne has stayed in Gabrielle's blood for.thousands of years. The Dea al Mon don't work like the rest of the Blood. It's a family inherited position, although caste and Jewel do play some part."  
  
Daemonar scrubbed his face over his hands. "What are we going to do?"  
  
Chaosti shrugged helplessly. "Karla is on her way here as we speak. Gabrielle wants to consult her before making any decisions."  
  
"What about Jaenelle? Are you going to get in contact with her?"  
  
"Eventually. But you know Jaenelle. She'd do the first thing any witch would knowing her friend's life was in danger: run off to find the perpetrator."  
  
Daemonar gave a short, tense laugh. "Is there anything I can do to help?"  
  
Chaosti looked right into Daemonar's eyes. "You can keep my daughter safe." 


	6. Unraveling

Disclaimer: (wow I haven't typed that in a while) I don't own the Black Jewels Trilogy, blah blah blah, u get the picture.  
  
A/N: I'm back! Between badminton and the stuff they've been pulling at karate, I've been busy like crazy but I am now working on my stories again (go me)! Thanx to all who reviewed!  
  
* * * *  
  
After dinner, which was an oppressively long affair, as it was the return of the Queen to her court, Shayna slipped away from her parents and friend to go for a run. She couldn't think, couldn't breathe. She needed the cold autumn air to clear her mind and body.  
  
Her feet made almost no noise as she swept across the hilly terrain of Dea al Mon's largest forest. She came to a clearing and paused, catching her breath.  
  
The trees nearby rustled.  
  
Shayna frowned and probed the bushes. It was just a rabbit, a small rodent common to Dea al Mon's forest. Shayna shook her head at her own jumpiness, then turned back to continue her run, when she ran smack into a body standing in front of her.  
  
The tall man grabbed her as she tried to back away. Shayna looked up and realized it was Daemonar. She threw off his hands and backed away, glaring at him.  
  
"I HATE it when you do that," she snarled at him.  
  
He just grinned at her, his white teeth flashing and dark wings unfurled making him look like something out of her worst nightmares.  
  
Although, sometimes he was.  
  
"Why did you follow me out here?"  
  
"Why did you leave?"  
  
"Just answer the question, Daemonar."  
  
"You first."  
  
"I asked first!"  
  
"Point being?"  
  
Her low growl of frustration made him laugh. "I just wanted to know where you were going. You've been avoiding me all afternoon, and through dinner too."  
  
"As I recall it," Shayna replied with a bit of annoyance, "it was you who fell asleep on the couch in my sitting room when we got here."  
  
"Yeah but you didn't talk to me all through dinner, and I was sitting next you the whole time," he countered, sounding a bit hurt.  
  
She sighed. "Being back here just brings back memories, I guess."  
  
"They don't seem to be good ones."  
  
She laughed bitterly. "My real home is the Hall. It always has been."  
  
"Why don't you like Karo?" he asked, already anticipating her reply.  
  
"He's not the only reason I'm not happy about being back."  
  
"That's not what I asked."  
  
"You sound too much like your father lately, Daemonar."  
  
He didn't reply.  
  
"I thought I loved Karo, once. Then he turned on me and went for a 'better' witch. Maybe she was prettier. She certainly didn't have a darker Jewel than mine." She sounded thoroughly confused. Daemonar supposed that someone turning on her wasn't a common happening in Shayna's life. He paused. No, it certainly wasn't.  
  
"Or maybe he was scared of you."  
  
"Of me? How could I possibly hurt him?"  
  
Daemonar thought it was obvious, but he didn't say that. "Shayna, look at your caste and rank. Look at your family and its position. Look at the Dark Court. I think that's plenty of reason to be frightened of you."  
  
Shayna sniffed. "You're not scared of me."  
  
"Right, and I'm also a son of the Dark Court."  
  
"Good point."  
  
Daemonar paused, then asked, "So are you ready to go back?"  
  
"Do I have to?"  
  
"Your mother wanted to see you. She sent me after you."  
  
"So you actually had reason to follow me out here, huh?"  
  
"Ummmm-"  
  
The look in Shayna's eyes was plenty of reason to run. "Did I say that?" Daemonar laughed as Shayna chased after him.  
  
"Daemonar!"  
  
* * * *  
  
Gabrielle paced her study, Chaosti watching her warily from a chair. She was waiting for her daughter to return. Daemonar had gone out looking for Shayna at her request more than an hour ago. Now, as she waited and anxiously strode back and forth across the room, she tried to figure out how exactly she was going to explain this matter to her daughter.  
  
"What am I supposed to say?" she finally asked of Chaosti.  
  
Chaosti, looking worried and very tired, scrubbed his hands over his face. "I honestly don't know, Gabrielle. We have to tell her. It's just a matter of, well, everything. You know our daughter. She'll take no heed of your words and probably go out searching for the danger herself."  
  
Gabrielle looked momentarily shocked, but then nodded to herself. "It's exactly what I would do."  
  
"My point has been made." Chaosti paused, then said, "I know someone who would watch over her for us."  
  
"Daemonar," Gabrielle said as she looked at her husband.  
  
Chaosti nodded.  
  
"Well, when they come back, tell him that we have a job for him. I'll explain as best I can to Shayna."  
  
Chaosti gave his wife a quick kiss, then muttered, "Good luck," and walked out of the room. 


	7. The web

Disclaimer: I don't own the Black Jewels.  
  
A/N: I'm trying, I really am, to get chapters up quick. Thanx again to my reviewers!  
  
* * * *  
  
Shayna tapped on the door to her mother's study. She heard a muffled, "Come in," took a breath, and opened the door. The way the summons had been worded clued Shayna in that this meeting was not one between mother and daughter, but rather one between Queen and witch.  
  
Gabrielle was standing by the window, looking out at the falling leaves. She didn't turn to look at her daughter when the door closed. "Tell me, Sister," she began, "You are learned in the Black Widow's Craft?"  
  
Shayna stepped into the center of the room and replied, "Yes, my Queen."  
  
"And you know how to read a web?"  
  
"Yes, my Queen."  
  
Gabrielle turned around. She flicked her wrist at a small table near the wall behind Shayna. A rather large web and frame appeared. Gabrielle motioned toward it and said, "Tell me what you see."  
  
Shayna obediently went to the web, partly wondering what was going on, partly honored that her mother would let her read a personal web. She closed her eyes and let the Black Widow side of her reach out for the web. She touched a tether strand. Visions poured into her head.  
  
Shayna.  
  
Shayna pulled back for a second, startled to hear her name reverberate inside her head, then hesitatingly brushed her finger against another tether line.  
  
Blood.  
  
Shayna opened her hand and gently pressed her palm into the center of the web as she'd been taught to do, touching all of the strands.  
  
* * *  
  
She was standing in a clearing in the middle of the Dea al Mon woods. A circle was drawn into the perfect mid-winter snow. A few Warlords stood off to one side.  
  
Shayna stepped into the circle and looked at herself. She was clad in the traditional Dea al Mon garb- tunic, leggings, and soft leather shoes. On her belt was a handcrafted knife, and she could feel the weight of her Red Jewel around her neck. Her Red ring pulsed with power on her left ring finger.  
  
She saw movement on her right and watched as a young Dea al Mon witch stepped into the circle to face her. She too wore the Red, and Shayna could feel the woman's power radiating out of her. Her own power ran through her veins, a warning throbbing in her blood.  
  
The sky was beginning to darken. Torches were lit around the circle, and Shayna could now see the witch's face more clearly. Her green eyes narrowed as the wind changed and carried the woman's psychic scent toward her. She felt anticipation grow in her, along with a hunger. for blood.  
  
Suddenly, the girl lunged toward her. At the same time Shayna drew her knife and threw up a Red shield, the girl sent a wave of Red power at Shayna. Shayna's shield fought against the tidal wave of power, then collapsed, taking down that wave with it. The two witches clashed, knives flashing in the torchlight.  
  
They broke, circled, clashed again. Over and over and over. Shayna held her own until she felt a stream of her Red power flow away from her.  
  
The woman was siphoning off her power!  
  
Shayna tried, futilely, to withdraw and hold onto that power, but couldn't fight the pull. She then sent a burst of Red power along that stream, and the witch fell. Shayna took that opportunity to slash at her, ripping the woman's arm open.  
  
The woman came back to her feet and struck at Shayna, who didn't have time to prepare. A spear of Red power struck at her chest, throwing her to the ground.  
  
She couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't muster up her power to throw up a shield. Then, she felt a knife thrust into her chest.  
  
Her vision went fuzzy and gray as her blood poured out of her body. Just as things went black, she heard a voice scream, "NOOOOOOOO!"  
  
* * *  
  
"NOOOOOOOO!"  
  
"Shayna!"  
  
Shayna collapsed on the floor just as Gabrielle reached her. She put her arms around her daughter, rocking her softly and muttering. Shayna was shaking violently and tears streamed down her face.  
  
When she calmed down, Gabrielle leaned back and looked at her daughter. Shayna's face was tear-streaked and red, but her expression was fiercely bitter.  
  
"What's to become of me?" she asked softly.  
  
Gabrielle shrugged her shoulders helplessly. "Shayna, I. I just don't know. You know that the webs are accurate."  
  
Shayna's voice shook. "So I'm going to die."  
  
Gabrielle just looked at her.  
  
Shayna got up and walked out of the room, saying, "Well if that's all the time I have, then I intend to enjoy it to the fullest."  
  
Gabrielle's face fell into her hands as she began to cry.  
  
* * * *  
  
A/N: the secret is out! Hehehe! But funny, I honestly don't know where this is going. Hm. 


	8. Anger

Disclaimer: do not own Black Jewels, do not own Black Jewels  
  
* * * *  
  
Shayna stormed through the corridors of the Hall. How dare her parents send her away after news like that. How dare they?! What she wanted to do was to find out exactly who this witch was who was supposed to kill her, and find out why. Now, being back at the Hall and with strict orders from both her parents and Saetan, who had been enlightened of the situation, there was no hope for any kind of investigating.  
  
She turned a corner and nearly collided with the last two people she wanted to see right now. The twins grinned at her.  
  
Shayna pushed past them. "Just leave me alone right now."  
  
They turned around and each threw an arm around her shoulders. She growled, but they took no heed of it. They too were acting more and more like Lucivar every day.  
  
"Back so soon?" Tristan asked cheerily. "Did you miss us that much?"  
  
She growled again. "No, I was rather looking forward to being away from you two for an entire month. But I got sent back here."  
  
"Why, what'd you do?" Tyler asked. Shayna could hear the grin in his voice.  
  
"I haven't done anything yet. But according to my mother, I'm going to die."  
  
The twins looked a little surprised, but they shook if off and tried to look unperturbed. "We're all going to die eventually. It's just a matter of when."  
  
"Yeah, well, apparently I'm going to die somewhere in the near future," she snapped.  
  
Tristan and Tyler stopped dead. "What?"  
  
Shayna shook a little bit and looked at her friends. "I don't know. I don't even think Jaenelle knows. My mother wove a web, and in it-" Shayna stopped, too upset to continue.  
  
For the first time in recorded history (it seemed to Shayna), neither of the twins pushed the issue. "Come on," Tyler said. "Let's go practice."  
  
* * * *  
  
Three hours later, exhausted nearly to unconsciousness, Tristan glared at his brother. "Good idea there Ty," he said to his brother, trying to harsh, but just sounding as fatigued as he was.  
  
Tyler, sprawled on the ground near the practice circle, just looked at his twin. "Remind me never to do that again," he muttered.  
  
"Which part? Sparring with her three matches in a row and losing all three times, or letting her use you for a throwing partner?"  
  
Tyler moaned. "All of it."  
  
Tristan was about to make a smart-ass reply when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned to find Arianna, Aaron and Kalush's daughter, walking toward them, grinning happily.  
  
"So I hear you sparred Shayna," she said, still smiling.  
  
Both boys glared at her.  
  
She shrugged. "Hey, I didn't suggest to you that you spar her when she's mad. I never would have."  
  
"Was there a point in you coming out or did you just want to laugh in our faces?" Tyler asked, trying to sound annoyed but coming out as just plain tired.  
  
"No, there's actually a point in me coming out here. Me and Halla and everyone else want to do something for Shayna, since she's so upset by all this."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
Arianna shrugged. "We don't know. But we thought it'd be nice if we included you in the planning. You're the only ones not with us yet."  
  
Tyler moaned again as he tried to sit up. "Can we have a little while?" he said as he slowly got to his feet. "I don't know about Tris, but I want to shower."  
  
Arianna nodded, then turned away and muttered, "You need it."  
  
"What?"  
  
* * * *  
  
Saetan sat at his desk at the Hall, looking out the window, unable to concentrate. He was supposed to be doing some paperwork for Dhemlan, as his son was awful at keeping up with it and the Queens in the Territory were getting antsy as they hadn't yet had their seasonal meetings with the Warlord Prince of Dhemlan.  
  
But he couldn't concentrate. His thoughts were of a certain young witch who had been sent away from her Territory, and, for the first time, had been upset with her parents because of it. He could understand that. However, he could also understand the necessity of protecting her.  
  
Which further infuriated her.  
  
A knock came at Saetan's door. "Come," he said, snapping out of his reverie.  
  
Shayna opened the door and stalked to his desk. Saetan tried to keep a serene expression on his face, but with the Dea al Mon witch staring him down, all he could do was look attentive.  
  
"I want to go back home," she stated.  
  
The High Lord cleared his throat. "I'm not in control of the situation, Shayna. And even if I was, I wouldn't send you back there. It's too dangerous."  
  
"How is it too dangerous? No one even knows who this witch is!"  
  
That wasn't entirely true, but Saetan wasn't about to tell her that the witch her parents believed was the witch from the web was now living in her house.  
  
Instead, he replied carefully, "That's the point, Shayna. They don't know who it is. We want to keep you as safe as we can for as long as we can. And I most of all know that if you were allowed back, the first thing you'd do is go off looking for the witch."  
  
Shayna sighed and plopped down in one of the chairs in front of Saetan's desk. "This is the first time I've ever actually wanted to go to my home territory. I've always felt like this was my home, with all my friends and family. I just want everyone to have confidence in my abilities. I want them to believe that I'm capable of taking care of myself."  
  
"I know you can take care of yourself. I gave you most of your lessons! But let your parents handle this. They're getting help from their court and some from the Dark Court as well. This will all get figured out sooner or later." 'Let's hope sooner rather than later,' Saetan thought to himself.  
  
Shayna was about to reply when Daemon strode through the door. "Okay, I know I asked you to take care of my paperwork, but could you please take care of my meetings with the Queens? At least the ones I have scheduled for today? I need to-" Daemon stopped short when he realized Shayna was there.  
  
"Well I don't know about that, my fine young Prince. This is, after all, your Territory, and I'm sure as the Warlord Prince of Dhemlan you know more than I do about its state," Saetan said mildly.  
  
"Can I go back to Dea al Mon, Uncle Daemon?" Shayna asked sweetly.  
  
"Oh please, Father, you've been handling most of my paperwork for the past 18 years, you know more about my Territory than I ever will, and when the sun shines in Hell you can go back," Daemon finished, looking at Shayna.  
  
She just shrugged and walked out of the room.  
  
Saetan looked at his son. "You were saying?"  
  
"I need to go to Dea al Mon. Chaosti needs some help with this thing, and I feel I should go. Jaenelle is going to stay here and try to talk to Shayna, but I have a feeling that nothing short of locking her in the Keep will keep Shayna here. Please, I'm coming back early tomorrow, and I only have three meetings scheduled today. I think they like you better anyway. I keep hearing rumors about my attitude being a little too forward and not polite enough." Daemon looked thoroughly confused.  
  
Saetan laughed. "I can't imagine why," he muttered, then continued, "I'm holding you to that. You're not back here in twenty-four hours and I'm sending Shayna after you."  
  
Daemon glared at his father. 


End file.
